Crazy Arms

For the next month after getting off work, I saw Ralph holding, talking to or playing with little David. Mom said he spent a lot of time with David.

The weekend before Ralph was to go back to college, we decided to have a big cookout at mom and dad's house. My brothers and their families came. Jake invited a couple of his friends from work and we invited a few of the drivers.

The guys decided to play some tag football. They were going to play for one hour and the team with the highest score would win. Each touchdown was worth seven points. The losers would have to pay for the beer for the whole night.

Each team had five of the younger guys on it. The older men were going to sit back and drink beer. Ralph wasn't interested in playing so he was just going to watch.

There was ten minutes to go with the score tied when my older brother pulled a hamstring or something.

"I'm sorry guys, I can't play anymore. I guess I'm too old for this," Jim said.

Jake said, "Then your team has to forfeit. You're one man short."

"Come on Jake, it's just a friendly game. You can't be serious," said my brother Jim.

I knew Jake had too much to drink by how loud he was getting. "Nope, a rule is a rule, you're one man short."

Most of the guys didn't agree with Jake but it was his party. Jim looked over at Ralph. "How about doing me a favor and playing for the last ten minutes? Your brother is getting a little obnoxious."

Ralph looked over at me and said, "Sure, why not. No one wants to lose on a forfeit."

Jake laughed and told his teammates, "Hell guys, don't worry about him, he can't play for shit. Just get the ball back so we can score."

On the first couple of plays, Ralph blocked and it helped move the ball forward. On the next two plays, he ran out for a pass to fake the other team. When he went back in the huddle, he told my brother Joe to throw him the ball since no one was covering him.

On the next play, Ralph gave a light block and ran as fast as he could down the sideline. By the time Jake was able to react, Ralph was well past him. Joe made a great throw over Jake's head and Ralph caught it for a touchdown.

Everyone was happy except Jake's team. It was made up of his buddies. "Shit Jake, I thought you said the kid couldn't play. He ran clean past you."

"It was just a lucky catch. We have a couple of minutes left to score. Let's just do it," said Jake.

They ran their first couple of plays and gained a little. They only had time left for one more play and decided on a long bomb.

We heard Jake say, "Everyone go long and I'll get the ball over the goal line. It's up to one of you guys to catch it."

Everyone went long and Jake heaved the ball. Ralph jumped up, caught it and went running back down the field. Time was up and the game was over, but Jake came at Ralph hard and knocked him down.

Joe yelled out, "What the hell are you doing? The game was over and you hit the kid."

"Oh hell, it was just an open field hit. I didn't mean to hit him that hard."

I grabbed some of the baby's wipes and went over to Ralph whose nose was bleeding. I told him to lie there for a few minutes till it stopped.

Eventually he got up and his teammates thanked him for winning the game. A few minutes later, Jake came over and apologized for hitting him so hard.

"No hard feelings bro. I guess I just got too caught up in the game."

"Sure, no problem," said Ralph.

I took the bloody tissues and put them in a baggie in the baby's diaper bag. I wanted it for later. The only person who saw me put it there was Jake's mom and she didn't say a word. I had to wonder what she thought.

Someone asked Ralph what he was going to do after he graduated. He said he already had a position with a local computer service, starting two weeks after graduation.

I was sitting next to Jake holding the baby when Jake turned to Ralph.

"Hey Ralphie, why are you staying at school a week after you graduate? Got a woman we don't know about?"

I knew it pissed Ralph off when he answered so only Jake and I could hear.

"Nope, I pretty much missed out on the Nude Day party last year. I thought I'd go and maybe come back with a wife, or at least a steady lay."

Neither Jake nor I had a comeback for that.

*****

Ralph continued his story:

I went back to college and graduated. Mom and Dad came to see me. They brought Trudy and the baby along. Jake said he was too busy but would be at my party when I returned home.

Trudy said she came since it was the same college she'd graduated from the year before. It was really nice seeing her there.

After the ceremony, we all went out for a nice dinner. I told my parents that I would be home in about a week because there were a few functions I wanted to attend. Trudy gave me a sad look knowing one was the annual Nude Day party.

After my parents and Trudy left, I had a lot of time to think. I was mad at myself for being such a pussy, a real wuss. I let my brother marry the only girl I cared for, so I decided it was time to change my life.

At the Nude Day party, I drank and enjoyed myself feeling up and having sex with as many women as I could. A guy at the party sold me some pills which really got me going. Toward the end of the party, I ended up with Sylvia.

She told me she had dropped out of school and was just going to enjoy life. After the party, we went to her apartment where I spent the night. I must have really been out of it. I remember most of what we did but the next day, I felt like shit. I spent two days at Sylvia's place recovering from the party.

We fucked god knows how many times. Sylvia was one sexy woman. I can tell you right now that mom would never approve of her but Jake would go ape shit over her. I told her I had to head home because I had a job waiting for me.

"Take me with you. We're good together."

"I don't want to get married or have kids right now," I said.

"That's okay, we don't need to get married. I'm all for just living with you. I promise you that you'll get all the loving you can handle."

I remembered telling Jake and Trudy that maybe I'd bring home a girlfriend from the party. What did I have to lose? I didn't owe anyone an explanation and Sylvia was one hell of a woman when it came to sex.

"Sure, why not?"

It was way out of character for me but I didn't care anymore. I was tired of being the nice guy, the good son. I was leasing an apartment when I got home. I needed to get away from mom and dad's house and seeing Trudy every day.

When I told my mom, she tried to be nice but I could tell she was upset. I told her we would be there the following weekend. It was when they were going to throw my graduation party.

Sylvia and I stopped at my apartment first. All I had was a bedroom set so far, though it came with kitchen appliances. I told Sylvia we could start getting furniture next week.

The usual people were at my party when we got there. My family and Trudy's family showed up. I could tell Trudy's brothers thought Sylvia was a knockout but their wives were there so they didn't push the compliments too far.

Jake on the other hand, was almost drooling. Trudy tried to be nice but it looked like she was jealous. Overall, the party was interesting. Sylvia acted as if she was in love with me by hugging and kissing me in front of everyone. For some strange reason, I felt like I was getting some sort of revenge at both Jake and Trudy.

Life after college was different for me. I had a great job and came home to all the sex a guy could ask for. The cost was that Sylvia was a flirt and wanted to pick out all our furniture. A huge downside was that I wasn't happy. After the revenge feeling wore off, I was just a guy with a live-in girlfriend who I believed cheated on me on a regular basis.

A couple of months passed and I received a call from Sylvia asking me to come home early. She had a surprise for me. That's when I found her in my apartment with my brother Jake.

The real surprise was when Jake said he wanted to swap. I couldn't believe it when he said Trudy was in on it. That was when I knew I had enough. I couldn't believe that Trudy would do such a thing, and so I left.

This is where I left off at the beginning of the story. I was getting ready to settle in for the night when there was a knock at the door.

I had no idea who it could be at my motel door. I opened it and there stood Trudy. I couldn't believe my eyes. What the hell was she doing here? How did she find me?

"I heard your conversation with Sylvia. While the two of them were busy, I took two suitcases and packed some of your belongings. Knowing you, I figured you would find a room close to your work. I just looked for your car. May I come in and talk to you? You have the wrong idea about me and I need to tell you the truth."

I stood there staring at her, my mind trying to grasp on what was happening. My brother was at my house fucking my girlfriend. His wife, who I really cared for, was at my door wanting desperately to talk to me.

"Please Ralph, we need to talk. It is really important that I tell you the whole truth."

"Where's David?"

"He's at your mothers. I asked her to watch him for me because I was going to break up with Jake tonight. I don't know if you're aware of it but your mom has been my best friend and I told her the whole story."

"What story? What did you say to my mom?"

"Let me in and I'll tell you everything."

I let her in and offered her a beer. I know she wasn't a beer drinker but it was all I had bought. When she took one, I figured whatever she had to say was important.

"You say you were going to leave Jake tonight, but yet you show up at my house for what he claimed was to swap mates. Would you mind starting there?"

"I should first tell you that Jake got a job offer from his company. They are opening a new sales office and distribution center in Indiana. He said we were going to move there, that's me, him and David. I told him there was no way that I was going to let him uproot us like that. I want David to grow up around our family.

"If Jake was a really good husband, I might have taken a chance and moved. We have been arguing day after day. It's not just his work but I know he has been seeing other women on the side right after we got married.

"I had hoped that he would change after David was born but he didn't. I've heard rumors that he has been with other women. He got to a point where he would almost flaunt it.

"For the past two weeks, he has been trying to get me to be a swinger. I told him no way. I have honestly been faithful to him ever since we got married. Today he told me he was going to go see Sylvia. I could either come along and take part or stay home."

"So why did you agree to go with him, Trudy?"

"Because of you Ralph. You have been the best lover I have ever had and I might add the nicest man I know. I wanted to see if we were still good together. Either way, I was going to divorce Jake. You never gave me a chance to explain."

"So if I would have agreed, you would have had sex with me tonight?"

She looked down, "Yes, I think I would have. I'm not a slut or a whore but I do have strong feelings about you and I always have. As I said, either way I am leaving Jake."

"What did you talk to my mother about?"

"I didn't have to tell her much. She is very observant. I mentioned to her that Jake wanted us to move to Indiana, but he had already told her. She didn't want him to move but it wasn't her decision. David is her only grandchild and she wanted him in her life."

"What else did you talk about?"

"I told her that I believed Jake was having affairs. She said she thought as much. That's when I told her I was leaving him tonight. I didn't tell her about his wanting to swing but I think she got the idea when I told her he wanted to go visit Sylvia tonight."

"Remember when I helped you set up the computer system and a couple of times I seemed aggravated? It was because I stopped by one of the bars and my brother was there with some slut. I wanted to tell you but I thought it better to mind my own business. Like you, I was hoping he would change.

"I saw him another time after David was born. That time he saw me. I asked him how he could do that to you. He told me what you didn't know wouldn't hurt you. I was pissed and wanted to tell you but I just didn't feel it was my place. Now I wish I would have."

"So, what do you want from me?" I asked.

"Ralph, there's more. I lied and I don't know how to tell you about it. You're going to hate me. Your mom said I need to tell you the truth."

"Just tell me the truth. Whatever you're talking about, just say it."

"David is your son, not Jake's."

"What? Why didn't you tell me? Trudy, why did you marry Jake? I don't get it. Did you like him that much more than me?"

"God no, when I found out I was pregnant I couldn't get you to talk to me. I called you time and time again. I figured you hated me. I didn't know what to do. The only other person I had sex with was Jake, and you knew about that. You know how mixed up and confused I was. Either one of you could have been the father. When I told Jake, he offered to marry me."

"Did you tell him the baby could be mine, that we had unprotected sex?"

"No, he said that the last time he talked to you before that Nude Day party that you said you'd always worn a condom. If I said anything differently it would have complicated the situation even more."

"I thought he had a DNA taken and it showed he was David's father. Did you lie about that too?" I was a little aggravated.

"No, the test was real and it did say it was an eighty-five percent chance that he was his father."

"So why are you saying he's not his father now, that I am?"

"I was never positive that he was his father. Remember at the football game when he bloodied your nose and I came over with some tissues?"

"Yeah, go on."

"I saved the tissues with your blood on them and put them in a baggie. The next day I sent them to a lab to check them against David's DNA."

"Okay, so what's the result?"

"There is a 99.99999% chance that you are David's birth father."

"Damn, who knows this beside you and me?"

"Your mom. She saw me put the bloody tissue in a baggie. One day she asked me the result. I swear that woman can read minds. I told her the truth."

"So what did she say to do about it?"

"Actually, she told me to talk to you and you could figure out what should be done. She said either way David was her grandchild. Then she smiled at me."

"Boy, this is one hell of a predicament. They don't write stories with this much suspense. Is there anything else I need to know? Anything else you want to come clean about?"

Trudy started crying. "I screwed up so bad. I not only messed up my life and David's, but now I have you involved as well as Jake. All I want is the best for my son. I don't know what to do." Now she was crying even harder.

I held her in my arms. I hated seeing her cry. "It will all work out one way or another. Is there anything else I need to know?" I asked again.

"I think I'm in love with you. I'm sorry. You have been so good to me, with the way you helped with David. What are you thinking right now?" asked Trudy.

"I was thinking about your wedding and how I was there wondering why the girl I cared for was marrying my brother who was nothing but a skirt chaser. Then I remembered a couple of lines from a song I once heard.

"The song was 'Crazy Arms' and the verse said:

Crazy arms that reach to hold somebody new

And my yearning heart keeps saying you're not mine

My troubled mind knows soon to another you'll be wed

And that's why I'll be lonely all the time."

Trudy leaned forward and kissed me. It felt so good.

"Trudy, I can't do this right now."

"But I thought you cared for me," she said with tears in her eyes.

"I do but I'm not like my brother. We'll get things worked out; I promise. I don't know how yet but we will do it. You have to understand that you threw a lot of stuff at me tonight. I need time to think over all this."

She nodded, but I had more to say.

"I have a son but my brother thinks it's his and is supporting it. I had a girlfriend yesterday and today she's screwing my brother. My mom seems to be in cahoots with you for whatever reason. I've been in love with you for over a year now and have been trying very hard to deny it.

"I want to make love to you but I just can't do it while you are married to my brother. Trudy, I suggest for the next couple of days you stay at mom's house. I don't want you alone with Jake till we figure out what to do.

"Right now I need to get some sleep. I already called off work for tomorrow and now have a whole lot of problems to try and figure out."

Trudy kissed me again and hugged me. I could feel the spark that we shared. I walked her out to her car and thanked her for bringing me my clothes. I watched her drive away. God, what the hell did I get myself into?

*****

Believe it or not, the first stop I made the next day was at my mom's after Trudy left for work. At least she took my advice and was staying there.

"Ralph, thank you for helping Trudy. I really love her and she's been through a lot," said mom.

"Why in the hell did you tell her to come to me?" I asked in a loud voice.

"Be quieter, David is still sleeping. The reason I told her to go to you is you helped start this whole mess, but mainly because she's been in love with you since I first saw her look at you."

"I started it? I didn't tell her to go fuck Jake."

"Watch your mouth Ralph, there's no need to use that kind of language. If you would have talked to her before she agreed to go out with Jake, things might have turned out different. She was a scared young girl that had major decisions to make and you could have helped her, but no, your pride got in the way."

"Mom, I saw her screwing my brother. What was I supposed to do? She was unfaithful to me."

"You two weren't even going together. Trudy told me that you had three dates and you never told her you loved her. How is that cheating? Besides, weren't you at the same nasty party? What were your plans that night?"

"Okay Mom, I get it, but I was a mess when I saw them together."

"Trudy told me it was the biggest mistake of her life going to that party; I believe her. The second one was marrying Jake. She said she should have just raised David on her own. I told her if she had done that then I would never have met my grandson. Jake may be my son and I love him to death, but I doubt he will ever grow up and settle down."

"Mom, what do you expect me to do?"

"Help Trudy get through this mess. Talk with your brother. You know that something is going on between him and that girlfriend of yours."

"I know Mom. I caught them together last night. I told Sylvia it's over and she has a month to get out of my apartment. What do you know about this job offer Jake got?"

"They offered him a job in Indiana pretty much doing what he is here. Trudy has already told him she wasn't moving."

"Now the big question Mom. Trudy said that David is my kid. Did you see the test results? I want to believe Trudy but I need to know for sure."

"Not only have I seen the results but I have them in our safe. I'll go get them," said mom.

It was true. I was looking at the results with my own eyes. I was David's birth father.

"What do I do now Mom? Tell Jake the truth? Since they are getting divorced, should Jake pay child support for David? Where do I stand here? Should I take over the responsibility of helping raise David?"

"Ralph, you have to do what you feel is right. I can't answer for you. The answer is in your heart. That's why I told Trudy to come to you. I have faith that you will do the right thing."